ASC Expecting Increase of Students this Fall

The week after graduation is no time for rest at Alfred State College (ASC), as the campus is preparing for a large class of orientation students to arrive in a few short weeks.

Despite a decline in the number of high school graduates in New York State, the ASC orientation class is growing by 15 percent. Alfred State also has a 15 percent increase for incoming students who made their deposit to secure their future as a Pioneer.

“I’m proud that our message of hands-on learning and career-readiness resonates with so many students,” said Deborah Goodrich, associate vice president of Enrollment Management. “While there is a national debate about the return on investment from a college education, many institutions are copying our model of success. It seems everyone today wants to add a component of applied learning. At Alfred State, we have always stood for the values of skill-building and a focus on the training needed to be job-ready.”

The Admissions team is seeing more visits this year, including an April open house with the largest attendance in school history. When comparing the number of applicants versus those accepted, it should be noted that the college is being more selective.

Approaching 9,000 applications this year, both the Admissions and Financial Aid offices at Alfred State have been in overdrive. For the seven SUNY Colleges of Technology, more than half of the growth in applications across the state comes from increased interest in one school – Alfred State.

Goodrich added, “Our faculty are the best ambassadors for us. Their ability to educate and prepare students is highly regarded among employers. Years ago we realized that employers remarked how ASC graduates ‘hit the ground running’ and we’ve used that slogan in our advertising for many years because it’s the essence of what we do.”

While Goodrich has been leading recruitment efforts at ASC for decades, there is always a drive to innovate and remain relevant with today’s students. The Marketing Communications Office continues to add digital and social media channels for messaging and is recognized nationally for excellence.

This year the marketing team earned four gold medals, a silver, and bronze award from Collegiate Ad Awards, Education Digital Marketing Awards, and Educational Advertising Awards. To ensure that those messages are delivered crisp and clear to students is the job of Print and Mail Services at ASC.

Many of Alfred State’s 70-plus majors are still accepting students for this fall, including programs where there is a greater number of open jobs than there are students. For a list of the most in-demand majors, visit www.AlfredState.edu/more-jobs.

“At Alfred State, we stay in touch with what skills employers are seeking and I can tell you that they are hungry for qualified applicants,” added Goodrich. “Knowing that our work leads to students launching great careers keeps all of our team energized. The more students that we can help ‘hit the ground running’ the better.”